You'll find a list of Austin neighborhoods. Click on the links to see all the Austin open houses scheduled in that area. We try to update the Austin open house schedule website once a week, usually by Saturday morning.

Agent’s Blog

Beautiful home in Barton Hills. Meticulously landscaped front and back yard with an expansive 8 Ft privacy fence. An above ground jacuzzi sits under a pergola, with over 250 SF of decked outdoor living space; great for summer entertaining. Fully remodeled kitchen in summer of 2014 with stainless steel appliances. Master bath features a jetted tub and walk-in shower. Hardwood flooring in living areas. Carpet in bedrooms. All rooms have recessed lighting and Baldwin door handles throughout the home.

Inventory in certain neighborhoods in Central Austin is at an all time low right now. Some areas of town have less than 1 month of inventory for sale! (The norm is typically around 3-4 months of inventory). As you can imagine, many of the new properties are going under contract before they even hit the MLS. I have been working with several builders and investors this year and scouring the area for new properties, before they hit the market in order for my clients to be one step ahead of all the other buyers. Below are just 4 of the houses that I know of that will be coming available for sale in the next 2-3 months, but are still under construction and have not yet hit the market. Call me if you want to discuss some of these upcoming central Austin properties. Scott Parris 512-698-7202.

I recently met with a client who was thinking about selling their house, but also wanted to do some small remodeling to help modernize their house. One thing they wanted to do is replace their 30 year old front door. They had spoken with several custom door companies that specialize in modern doors and the prices well exceeded their budget. I did some research for them and found a company in North Austin called the Door Outlet that has good selection of modern and mid century modern doors that can easily compliment any Central Austin Property.

If you are looking to do some small updates to your home and you are looking to stay within a budget, adding a new door and some paint, might be just what your house needs. Small touches like this can go a long way when selling your home, especially in trendy neighborhoods like Travis Heights, Hyde Park and Crestview.

I recently helped a client sell their vacant lot in southeast Austin that is less than 3 miles from downtown. Here was the listing: 1809 Cedar Ridge Dr.

The buyers had been looking for a house for months, but could not find what they wanted. They decided to buy a lot and build a home that fit their needs. As home prices continue to rise, as reported recently by the Statesman, it can be more and more difficult to find that perfect home. If purchasing a lot to build is something that you are considering, send me an email and I can keep you updated on lots in Central Austin as they become available, as well as potential off the market listings for vacant land.

The Statesman reported earlier this month that 3 new condo projects are being proposed for downtown Austin. Click HERE for additional details. Let me know if you would like additional information on these projects as they become available. You can reach me at scott@austinmodernliving.com

Latest news shows that both the real estate market and the jobs market in Austin are still red hot! The Austin Business Journal reports that “Austin leads nation in job growth,” and data that KXAN received from the U.S. Department of Labor “show that Austin is one of about a dozen metro areas in the country that have regained the jobs lost during the recession.” From 2007 to 2012, Austin ranks number one for percentage job growth, a gain of 7.5 percent.

In regards to the housing market: The Austin Board of Realtors reports that Austin home sales are up 26% and total inventory of homes for sale is only 2.6 months – 1.6 months less than this time last year.

As the jobs market continues to improve, more and more buyers are beginning to look for homes. As a result, sellers are often seeing a significant increase in the number of offers that they are receiving on their homes. This trend does not appear to be changing anytime soon. Over the past weekend in Central Austin, there were 153 New Listings, 235 Homes Received an Accepted Contract, and 115 Homes Sold.

If you are a seller and are interested in receiving a free market analysis on what your home is worth: CLICK HERE

I have submitted 4 offers for buyers in the past 2 weeks in the neighborhoods of: Crestview, Rosedale, Highland Park and Delwood – just east of I-35. All 4 properties were on the market less than 1 week and ALL 4 of the offers were OVER THE SELLER’S ASKING PRICE. Most surprisingly, NONE of the offers were accepted. In every case, another buyer offered more. Buyers are definitely waking up to the notion that if they plan to buy a house in Central Austin in 2013, they have to move quickly on an offer and most likely, there will not be much negotiating with the seller.

I looked at the Crestview neighborhood data specifically (between the sales price of $270k and $400k), and there have been 9 sales in the past 90 days that sold within 1 week of being on the market. 3 sold over asking price, 2 sold at asking price and all of them sold within $9,000 of the asking price – no more than 3% off the asking price. There are also 7 homes under contract in Crestview right now, and at this time, all but 1 were on the market more than 14 days (most were only 1-4 days on the market). There were however 9 sales that took between 14-60 days to sell and another 6 homes that took over 60 days to sell. Part of the reason for those long market times is that some of those sellers listed in November and December when the market was slower. However, those numbers also say that yes there are a lot more buyers than sellers, but buyers also know a good deal when they see one. If your a seller and your house is priced right, expect multiple offers. If your too high, expect to sit on the market for at least 2 weeks to 2 months, if not longer. Please email me if you would be interested in seeing additional data and photos of the homes that have sold.

The real estate market has definitely had it’s ups and downs over the past decade. The buzz word since 2007 has been Foreclosures and REO’s. There are a lot of misconceptions regarding buying a foreclosed property. Click Here for all the details regarding the Facts and Fiction about Foreclosures

The Austin Board of Realtors provides monthly and yearly Austin real estate market statistics based on month by month MLS data that compares the Austin market over the past 5 years. These stats are intended to help you (potential Austin home buyers and sellers) make an informed decision about the Austin real estate market before you buy or sell a home in the Austin area.

As you can see from the snap shot of the chart to the right, home sales rose significantly over the past year, while inventory has continue to decreased. What does this mean for 2013? With mortgage interest rates expected to remain below 4% through the next year, you can expect just as many, if not more buyers looking to purchase a home this coming year. The big question is, will more home owners be looking to sell? The longer the supply of houses for sale remains low, the more and more it looks like we have entered into a new sellers market in Austin.

**If you are a seller and would like statistics for your specific neighborhood of Austin, property type or price range, please complete our Market Analysis Request Form and tell us how we can help. We can provide real estate market specifics for both buyers and sellers throughout the Austin area, that will give you a jump on the competition for 2013! Just let us know how we can help.**

CentralAustinProperty.com

I specialize in Central Austin Real Estate: Primarily condos, town homes and renovated properties. There are also more and more builders finding their way into certain pockets of town as well, so new construction is becoming more of an option for buyers than it ever used to be before. Central Austin is very diverse and most neighborhoods were developed in the 1940's, 50's and 60's and were never very well distinguished. Many people often confuse the exact boundaries of specific neighborhoods such as: Tarrytown, Rosedale, Hyde Park, Brentwood, Crestview and Allandale. Even more confusing is the zoning for schools. For example, if you are at the intersection of Burnet Road and Anderson Lane (depending on which corner you are on), your children can go to 3 different high schools. That plays a big factor in property values as well. Should you have any questions or interest in living in Central Austin, please let me know.